Every Wednesday, we share a round-up of the latest news from admissions blogs at the top business schools. In this week’s edition of MBA Admissions Mashup, we take a look at some breaking news from HBS, the value of a vast alumni network, careers and internships, work-life balance, on-campus conferences as well as some last minute admissions advice.
This morning, Harvard Business School Managing Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid, Dee Leopold announced that she will be stepping down from her post in May 2016. In the post, she assures all of you Harvard Hopefuls that it’s business as usual at Dillon House and her focus (as well as the focus of her whole team) will remain on you – the applicants! She ended her post reminding applicants to maintain their focus as well: “please go back to figuring out how to Introduce Yourself and Round One interviewees should be making sure they have clean socks picked out for their interview”
Dartmouth / Tuck MBA Brian Cook (T’17) reflected on his marketing trek to NYC. In addition to being a “change of pace” from Hanover, NH, his experience in New York that weekend opened his eyes to the value of a close-knit community, both on- and off-campus. “I appreciated most that what resonated with all of us was the idea that Tuck is providing us with not just access to great career prospects, but a community of people deeply committed to reflection and acceleration of your leadership.”
Jonathan Sockol, Wharton ’16, counts his lucky stars to be around so many “superheroes” day in and day out at The Wharton School. “These are the kinds of superheroes that I am humbled to call my classmates. Large or small, their actions have enabled the successes of many others. That’s what being a superhero is all about. This is the type of atmosphere that you will encounter at Wharton.”
The MBA Career Services Director at IESE explains the benefits of their Career Forum and how this year’s is going to be the biggest forum to date, as well as how students should take full advantage of the forum. “I would like to encourage students to enjoy the Career Forum and make the maximum of what it has to offer . Don’t be reactive, be active and take your career in your own hands, looking for a job.”
On the MBA Admissions side of things, the UT Austin / McCombs team weighs the balance of work experience and asks the question: Is quantity better than quality? “Even if the job title is at face-value impressive, the scope of it is equally, if not MORE important. On your resume be sure to back up fancy job titles that contain those high-profile hierarchical buzz words with equitable descriptions that truly include initiative, accountability, project scope, expertise and oversight.”
Getting your MBA involves endless hours of classroom time, studying, and on-campus recruiting. How does one balance this in addition to the social and extracurricular events, not to mention the important “me time”? Oxford MBA Andreas Glinz notes that “it is crucial to keep the big picture in mind. In my view, the Oxford experience is about much more than just the business school. Oxford offers a unique environment, full of vibrant heritage, rich in exciting opportunities, and alive with inspiring people.”
Is there a transition period from full-time work to full-time MBA studies? That transition can be challenging and Georgetown / McDonough student ambassador E. Skepnek shares 9 tips on managing this change in pace: “Keep some perspective. This is a hard thing to do, but try to remind yourself that there is a world outside of business school. This may not be possible during Opening Term, but after you get into the swing of things, explore the city, read a book for fun, and enjoy life.”
Of course, taking advantage of on-campus conferences and special events is key to getting the most of your time as an MBA. UVA / Darden held its inaugural Diversity Week (ends tomorrow 10/29). The purpose of the week are to “Increase awareness of diversity challenges in business, educate the Darden community about the importance and benefits of diversity in business, and provide engaging programming that is relevant to the current business environment.”
In Chicago, two schools (Northwestern / Kellogg and U. Chicago Booth) are collaborating on an entrepreneurship conference. According to the Kellogg blog, the two programs are setting their rivalry aside and “will come together and partner to host the second annual Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Conference at the University Club of Chicago. ETA Investors and CEOs will congregate with roughly 300 students to share valuable insight into their experiences with this unique form of entrepreneurship.”
That’s all for this week! Join us next week for the latest edition of MBA Admissions Mashup.
